12032019-JTR-01.qxd 3/12/2019 1:47 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar TRIBUNE PAGE 2 NURSES COMPLAIN OF ‘MISBEHAVIOUR’ Nurses assigned for ongoing pulse polio drive complain of misbehaviour by city residents. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY PAGE 3 MARTIN SENDS LOVE FOR ACTOR SHAH RUKH KHAN PUNIT PATHAK WINS COLORS’ KHATRON KE KHILADI 9 Coldplay frontman Chris Martin admires Baadshah Shah Rukh Khan, and hopes his charm stays on forever. MAX 23°C | MIN 10°C | YESTERDAY MAX 22°C | MIN 12°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6:33 PM After 10 weeks of spine-tingling and emotional moments, Punit crowned the winner of Khatron Ke Khiladi 9 SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:41 AM 15.74 lakh to cast vote in dist on May 19 Seven committees formed to ensure proper conduct of free and fair poll; counting on May 23 She said the programme assumes significance as during the ensuing general elections, VVPAT machines would be used for polling along with EVMs due to which poll staff need to be trained. Dr Jassal said besides informing officers about the use of these machines, the training would also help in sharpening their skills to perform their duty diligently during the poll. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 11 As many as 15.74 lakh voters across 1,863 booths in the nine Assembly constituencies of the district will cast their vote on May 19. Of these, 8.22 lakh voters were male and 7.52 lakh were female while 23 were third gender voters. They said elections would be held on May 19 and counting of votes on May 23. Holding a press meet here after the election code of conduct for the 2019 LS poll came into force last evening, Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma, Commissioner of Police GS Bhullar and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Navjot Singh Mahal said various arrangements were in place to ensure free and fair elections. The officials said over seven committees had been constituted to ensure proper conduct of elections. These comprise screening committee, media certification and monitoring committee, vehicle management teams, expenditure monitoring committee, model code of conduct teams, video viewing teams and accounting teams which will check the misuse of money power, liquor and narcotics. They said that adequate security forces would be Instructions given to parties DC Varinder Kumar Sharma, CP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and SSP Navjot Singh Mahal during a meeting with representatives of political parties; and (right) an MC worker removes a hoarding in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: MALKIAT SINGH NOTIFICATION TO BE ISSUED ON APRIL 22 Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma said a notification regarding the elections would be issued on April 22 and the last date for filing nominations would be April 29. They said the scrutiny of nominations would be held on April 30 and the last date for withdrawal of votes was May 2. deployed for conducting the electoral process in a peaceful manner. The DC said a notification regarding the elections would be issued on April 22 and the last date for filing nominations would be April 29. They said the scrutiny of nominations would be held on April 30 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations was May 2. While 15.74 lakh voters will cast their vote across 1,863 booths in the nine Assembly constituencies, as many as 1,863 EVMs and several VVPAT machines will be pressed into service during the poll. Officials said 4,200 ballot units were also kept as a back up in case if there was an increase in the number of candidates. An official said, “if there are less than 16 candidates, only 1,863 ballot units will be needed but if these increase, then the ballot units also increase. Hence, we have adequate back up for the same.” The district administration also organised a training programme of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines at APJ College for presiding officers and Soulful rendition assistant presiding officers. Presiding over the training programme at the local APJ College, the Regional Transport Authority (RTA)-cumAssistant Returning Officer, Jalandhar Cantonment, Dr Nayyan Jassal, said the sole motive of organising the programme was to acquaint the poll staff with the working of these machines. The DC, Commissioner of Police and the SSP also held a meeting with political parties earlier today and instructed that they must avoid any campaign which incites mutual hatred. They said no religious place should be used for campaigning. Posters of political rivals should not be torn and protest against each other would not be allowed. The officials said the venue and time of political rallies and processions must be informed well in advance to avoid any sort of clash en route. Political posters removed After the implementation of the poll code yesterday, posters were also removed from various spots in the city. Hundreds of posters bearing the names, symbols and schemes of political parties were brought down at many spots. TUESDAY | 12 MARCH 2019 | JALANDHAR Voter helpline 1950 flooded with 700 calls in 2 months Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 11 Two months after the launch of the 1950 helpline, it has already received a whopping 700 complaints – sometimes as many as 100 on a single day. Queries regarding voter ID cards, mistakes in the cards or non-issuance of the cards to those who have recently applied comprise majority of the complaints made to the 1950 helpline so far. Amid directions already issued by the Election Commission to political parties not to use the name of the armed forces for political propaganda, the commission has gone all out to ensure the prevention of violation of the model code of conduct during the elections. The administration had launched the voter helpline 1950 and a C-Vigil app to enable citizens to complaint against violations of the poll code or other corrupt practices. Model code of conduct teams have also been formed in the district to keep an eye on violations. An IT App initiative, Suvidha, has also been developed for candidates which is a single window for taking permissions required during the elections and would be dealt online within 24 hours. During a press conference held here today by Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sufi singers perform during an annual charity show, 'Sanjha Piyar Diyan', organised by the St Soldier Group of Institutions in Jalandhar on Monday. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH P2 MAN ARRESTED FOR SNATCHING Phagwara: The police arrested a man, Rahul of Barrapind village, near Goraya, and recovered a purse containing Rs 5,200, a PAN card and other valuables from him on Monday. Phagwara SP Mandeep Singh said the police had also impounded the scooter of the suspect, who snatched the purse from Manjit Kaur of Malikpur village on March 5. OC MAN BOOKED IN DOWRY CASE Phagwara: On a complaint lodged by Manjit Kaur of DhakPandori village, the police have registered a case under Section 498-A, IPC, against her husband Vinod Kumar of Chharrwali village on the charge of torturing Manjit for bringing more dowry. OC Sharma, Commissioner of Police GS Bhullar and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Navjot Singh Mahal, they said all complaints made on the Android app would be resolved within 100 minutes. Since the code of conduct came into force last evening, there has not been a single complaint regarding code violation so far received on the voter helpline. However, officials said the number of complaints, which was on an average between 8 and 10 daily, had seen a spurt during the voters’ camp on March 2. This morning onwards, the helpline has received 25 calls. ADC (Development) Kulwant Singh said: “We have been flooded with calls ever since the helpline started. Though many frivolous calls have also been made at times, a majority of the calls comprise queries regarding voter ID cards, new cards, nonreceipt of new cards or mistakes in old ones, which were being resolved. Most of the complaints we received were during the voters’ camp held on March 2. At least 97 persons called on a single day. With the poll code being implemented since yesterday, we expect more calls now. So far, we haven’t received any complaint regarding poll code violation.” Two Tanzanian women held with heroin Tribune News Service INBRIEF PAGE 4 Jalandhar, March 11 The Jalandhar rural police today arrested two Tanzanian women with 200 gm of heroin near the Sutlej Bridge in Phillaur. The suspects have been identified as Golden (26) and Maria Sulam (28) of Tanzania, at present residing in Dwarka Colony in Delhi. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jalandhar (rural), Navjot Singh Mahal, said on a tip-off, a police team, led by Additional Phillaur SHO, Inspector Pawan Kumar, was conducting a checking near the Sutlej Bridge. He said the police spotted two foreign-based women The suspects in police custody in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO coming from the Ladowal toll plaza. Mahal said inspector Kumar, along with women police personnel, stopped and quizzed them on which the duo revealed their names. The SSP said on suspicion, the women police personnel checked two purses that were carried by the Tanzanian women and recovered 100 gm of heroin from each purse. He said both women were arrested by the police and a case under Section 21 of the NDPS Act had been registered against them at the Phillaur police station. The SSP said further investigation in the case was on. He said since July last year, 19 foreign nationals, including eight women and five men, had been arrested by the Jalandhar (rural) police for drug peddling. Mahal said 10 cases had been registered against them after recovery of over seven kg of heroin from their possession. Regularisation brings relief to these two specially abled teachers With a meagre pay of ~7,500, they faced a lot of difficulties Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 11 Two physically challenged teachers among hundreds of others working under the 5178 Master Cadre Union in government schools fought their own battles, both professionally and personally. Now, that the government has ordered to regularise members of the 5178 Master Cadre Union, these two teachers from Kot Sadik and Ladran, respectively, are happy not because they will finally be made regular, but they hope that now, they will not feel embarrassed for not being able to help their family members. Manjit Kumari (35), who is working with Government High School, Ladran in Phillaur is 100 per cent physically challenged from her lower part. In her personal life too, she has suffered a lot and then she was recruited under the 5178 master cadre in 2014. She cannot move on her own and is confined to a wheelchair. Such is the condition that her elderly father, who is a retired Class IV employee, goes with her to drop her to the school and then in the afternoon, he picks her from the school. “All this struggle and suffering was just for Rs 7,500 per month. This is what my life had become, said Manjit, adding that now that the Manjit Kumari at Government High School, Ladran, in Phillaur. TRIBUNE PHOTO order of regularisation has come, I will have to clear the probation period till December this year and afterwards, I will become a regular employee. Till December, she will get c m y b Rs 15,000 and after that, she will start getting the full pay scale, around Rs 45,000. She said her father was the one who would always take her to the school and the college despite his job. “After I completed my education, the real challenge was to find a job. For interviews and counselling, it was my father who used to take me to Chandigarh and other areas,” said Manjit. She said people would often ask her father to either send her somewhere or get her married, but he used to scold them and remains a shield for her. “He always knew the importance of education. Though I come from a poor financial background, my father spent everything he had on me. Later, I cleared the Teacher Eligibility Test and became a teacher, but all these years, I remained so embarrassed that I could not even repay him due to the government apathy. I was just waiting for the moment to get regularised,” she said. Now, she is relieved. Manjit said her parents were so happy that some good change would finally happen. The case of Manjit Kaur, who is a teacher in Government High School, Kot Sadik, was no less painful. She has also a disabled right leg. Kaur was too small when she lost her father. In the absence of any source of income, she started teaching at a private school and continued her studies. While doing a private job, she completed BEd, Masters in English and then cleared the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). She has five siblings and was getting Rs 7,500 per month all these years, which she had spent on getting her sisters married. Kaur said she even continued the job when she had to travel 50 km to reach her school. “Despite suffering a lot in our lives, we never lose hope and now, after a few months I will start getting the full pay scale,” she said.

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